New Data Reflects Improved Road Safety Trends Ahead of Thanksgiving Travel Surge

New proprietary data from Verra Mobility’s U.S. traffic safety systems show that Thanksgiving 2024 recorded the lowest number of speeding and red-light violations per camera since 2020.

This milestone reflects a broader trend toward safer driving practices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there was an 8.2% decline in roadway deaths in the first half of 2025. As more communities adopt automated enforcement programs, data shows a reduction in traffic violations and fatalities. While these improvements are encouraging, continued efforts are essential to ensure safer streets for all road users.

Verra Mobility analyzed traffic patterns across hundreds of communities in states such as California, Florida, and New York during last year’s Thanksgiving weekend to identify the decrease in violations.

Red-Light Running Data 

• More than 45,000 red-light violations were recorded during the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday through Sunday).

• Red light running violations were at their lowest point in 2024 since 2020, down to 5.97 violations per camera from a high of 6.28 last year.

• Most red-light violations occurred between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Speeding Data

• In 2024, the holiday weekend racked up more than 130,000 speeding violations.

• Sunday averaged the most speeding violations of the weekend.

• Most violations, a total of 7,930, occurred between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Sunday.

• The average number of speeding violations, per site, has shown a slow downward trend since 2021.

“The data from Thanksgiving 2024 is a promising sign that road safety is moving in the right direction,” said Jon Baldwin, executive vice president of Government Solutions, Verra Mobility. “With red-light and speeding violations reaching multi-year lows, even as more drivers are on the road, it’s clear that automated enforcement and public awareness are making a difference. It’s important to continue these efforts, with every safe arrival serving as a reminder of why continued vigilance and smart mobility solutions matter.”

The decrease in violations came after AAA estimated a record-breaking 71.7 million people would travel by car over the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend. Despite encouraging data, car travel continues to have the highest fatality rate among major forms of motorized transportation, based on fatalities per passenger mile.